Who doesn't love photos of tropical island weddings? Last year we shared A Few of Our Favorite Honeymoon & Wedding Photos on St. George's Caye.
But now we need to update our list! It's not every day we have an adventuresome couple, still in suit and dress, get on stand-up paddle boards (SUPs) at sunset for photos. A picture perfect moment!
We're so excited to show you the recently enhanced guest dock at our resort! Last month we shared that the New Swimming Dock is Nearly Complete.
Our hard-working team has now finished the upgrades and the guest dock features spots to lay in the sun, tile roof for shade, and a hexagonal swimming platform. It's an ideal place to relax and take in the incredible views or go for a dip in the warm Caribbean. Grab some free snorkel gear and get to know the rays and fish that hang out in the calm shallow waters (about 4-6 feet deep).
Here's a 1-minute video where you can take a walk with us, from under the almond tree and across the beach and out onto the dock:
It was a calm and sunny morning about 6:15AM when this video was taken. Listen carefully and you can hear some of our resident birds greeting the sun-filled day.
Just in time for a busy winter season in Belize, the new dock on the reef-side of our island is nearly complete. Guests of St. George's will soon have even more space for lounging in the sun and shade over the sea, and several platforms for easy swimming and snorkeling in the warm waters right off the dock.
(Picture above is a guest jumping off of our old dock, unfortunately lost to the storm last year. The replacement is bigger and better!)
Located between the swimming pool and the Oceanfront Cabanas, The Villa features three private suites adjoining a large living room and veranda with expansive views of the Caribbean. Until now this space was used by the owner, and for occasional overflow and groups needing more than our 12 thatch cabanas.
But we can no longer keep this beautiful space and impressive view to ourselves…so we’re excited to announce the newly remodeled oceanfront villa and suites at St. George’s Caye Resort!
Starting this winter, each of the three air-conditioned suites – the Coral Suite, Dolphin Suite, and Captain’s Suite – is available to rent as a private room, or you can rent the entire Villa. With gorgeous Belizean hardwood floors, bright tropical accents, and sweeping ocean views from the living room and veranda, The Villa is the perfect space for a group of friends, two or three couples, or family to enjoy our island paradise together.
Just like the private cabanas, your private villa suite comes with coffee & fresh juice delivered each morning, your first rum punch on the house every day, unlimited use of kayaks, SUPs, sailboats, windsurf gear, and saline swimming pool, and all other resort amenities.
Between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in the US there tends to be a lull in travel which means you can often snag an affordable flight to Belize. And who doesn't want a break from the hustle and bustle of holiday season?!
Treat yourself to a relaxing beach vacation AND get some of your holiday shopping done. Sounds pretty ideal, doesn't it?
We have wifi here at St. George's Caye Resort if you must do some online shopping - but might we recommend some handmade crafts from Belize? Our gift shop is full of wonderful items supporting local artists and craftsmen from around the country. Bring home hammocks, baskets, woodcarvings, jewelry, Marie Sharp’s hot sauce, and more for your friends and family. We also offer day trips to Belize City and San Pedro so you can hit art galleries, tourist shops, and even beach vendors selling beautiful handmade crafts.
Cap'n Ron is offering a special deal for stays between November 25th and December 22nd of this year: get $200 in Holiday Gifts on us! Book any 5 night or longer stay and you receive a $200 credit in our gift shop. And even better, if you reserve your stay by October 15th, we'll also upgrade your room at no charge! Pay for a Tropical Garden Cabana, stay in one of our popular Sunset Over-the-Water Cabanas. View Offer Details.
Ever wondered what it’s like to jump off a waterfall in the jungle?
Dive the beautiful Belize Barrier Reef?
Swim with sharks?
As a resort in Belize, we keep our eye on flight prices because we know how much this affects whether someone can travel to our beautiful island in the Caribbean. There are several airlines that serve Belize: American, Avianca, Copa, Delta, Southwest, and United. Airfares are getting more and more competitive thanks to the arrival of Southwest Airlines in 2015, especially during May through November.
Guests who recently booked with us mentioned getting airfares as low as $200 and $300 round-trip through Southwest Airlines. This is an incredible deal! Especially compared to the more standard fares to Belize in the $500-$800 range.
We had to see it for ourselves so we searched on the Southwest site for dates that overlap with our “Choose Your Discount Summer Special” (good through Sept 30th) and found:
Yes, you read that correctly. Round-trip from Florida to Belize for less than $200!
Talk about an affordable summer escape…what are you waiting for?!
A favorite nighttime activity on our little island in the Caribbean is stargazing.
Since we’re more than 7 miles from the mainland of Belize and there are no towns or other island resorts nearby, there is very little "light pollution" to get in the way of your star show. Identify the constellations, find a planet, gaze at shooting stars. The show is especially engaging on evenings with a new moon or very little moonlight.
As we move towards completion of our 4th year of providing student scholarships in Belize, we are pleased to provide you, our friends, with this update. As you may know, education is not free to students and their families in Belize as it is in the U.S., Canada and many other nations. Many children living in poverty are not able to get even a basic education.
In 2013 the staff of St. George's Caye Resort came together to start a scholarship fund to help children in their home villages attend school. In August 2014 we proudly shared about the Successful First Year for St. George’s Scholarship Winner, and then a year later shared that the program had expanded to help 6 students for the 2015-2016 school year! Read more: Scholarships for Higher Education in Belize
We are thrilled to share that we now support 11 high school students and one elementary age student through our program, which is fully operated by our incredible staff. All candidates were vetted for ability, motivation and need – and they are now very thankful for their educational opportunity.
Here is a little bit about the twelve students we currently support:
Our secluded island paradise is pretty much perfect for relaxing and adventuring -- located only 7 miles off the coast of Belize and less than a mile from the reef, St. George's Caye offers great access to both ocean and jungle adventures. There are only 12 thatch cabanas and a limited number of guests at one time (and no TVs or cars!), so you can truly get away from it all. And our staff is one of the finest in the country, providing top-notch friendly service without being intrusive.
But we're always looking for ways to improve the guest experience and make your time in Belize even better. We listen to guest feedback at the resort, via TripAdvisor reviews, and through post-stay guest surveys -- and we’ve made a few fun updates so that you have an even more incredible time at our island resort in Belize.
This past fall our team rehabbed our beach to prevent further erosion and make it even better for our guests. We've added a ramp and stairs to make it easier to launch the Hobie Cat sailboats, and the sand is dotted with pink chairs and colorful hammocks for reading, napping, and sunbathing. The four Oceanfront Cabanas face this beautiful stretch of beach and offer front-row seats for the sunrise each morning.
The team at St. George's cares deeply about protecting the reef and the underwater world. Our Belize island resort is owned and managed by scuba divers and located less than a mile from the amazing Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere.
One of its biggest threats to the reef right now is the invasive species lion fish. These fast-breeding fish do not have any natural predators. To help keep the population under control, divers all over Belize and the Caribbean use spear guns to hunt these spiny, venomous fish. It takes skill, especially when removing the lionfish from the spear so that you don't get stung by one of their spines! But it's worth it because not only are you removing an invasive predator from the reef, but the delicate white fish is delicious to eat as well.
Last week at St. George's Caye Resort we hosted our first "Save The Reef" Lionfish Dive Tournament with several teams of divers competing for biggest caught and most caught in one dive. It was a lot of fun and we hope to have even more divers involved next time. (Read more: Divers Keeping the Barrier Reef Healthy: Lionfish Tournament in October)
Most importantly, we are thrilled to report that combined the teams removed 1,016 lionfish from the reef! This is a huge impact in less than a week. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped make this possible. The coral reef thanks you too!
Lionfish are an invasive species in the Caribbean and they are voracious eaters, potentially devastating to the health of coral reefs. The dive team at St. George's Caye Resort is doing our part to rid the reef of these fast-breeding fish – and many guests who are experienced divers join our dive masters and "spear hunt" underwater! It's exciting and a fun way to control the lionfish population and a unique diving experience you can't find just anywhere. Learn more about Lionfish Dive Safari.
To step up our efforts to control the lionfish population, we are hosting a one-week Lionfish Tournament on October 8-15, 2016. To encourage participation, all tournament dives are half-price!
Divers can bring their own team, or join a team when they arrive. There will be fun prizes for the largest lionfish, smallest lionfish, and the most caught in one day. Come join the fun, help the reef, and maybe win a prize!
In a time when our world often seems continuously chaotic, unfair, mean and full of bad news - I'd like to offer you some hope and faith in humanity.
Specifically, I’d like to introduce you to Carlos Reyes and his family. If they don't give you a glimmer of hope for humans - I don't know what will! :) Meet St. George's Caye Resort Team Leader, Carlos Reyes. A 20 year veteran of Caye living Carlos knows every square inch of St. George's and is an integral part of the Resort's success. Behind the scenes he is often unseen and unheard - but we cannot function without him!
At four years old Carlos was brought to Belize by his parents from civil war torn El Salvador. They were immigrants fleeing a less than ideal situation in their home country. Actually it was a scary place full of violence, gun fights and fear. Sound like a familiar recent story you might have heard on the news? Well, it is not too far off.
With not much other than their family and a few backpacks Carlos, his three brothers and sisters and parents were offered hope in a community named Valley of Peace; a village in Belize set up just for El Salvadorian immigrants. His family knew how to farm and live off the land and pretty much do any job they could to make a living. His parents went on to have seven more children - thriving in a peaceful, humble atmosphere.
